I apologize for the lack of updates. Seminary keeps you pretty busy and I'm not yet fluent in Greek, so I spend a lot of my time looking a flashcards with weird characters on them. Anyway, on a more serious note, it's time for a bit of reflection.
Prof Hendricks continuously emphasizes in his classroom that if you want to learn something you have to know how to read. You might laugh at that statement, and some of you may be saying, "That is the dumbest thing I've heard. I know how to read!" Do you? Do you really know how to read? I picked up a book that Prof recommended entitled How to Read a Book: The Classic Guide to Intelligent Reading, by Mortimer J. Adler and Charles Van Doren. Let me tell you, I'm not even a fourth of the way through the book and I have learned that I do not know how to read a book. It's amazing how many things we overlook. Do you ever stop and think to read the inside cover of a book? How about the little blurbs in the back? How many of us read the table of contents before reading a book? Do you ask questions of the text as you read? Do you quiz the text? Do you ask yourself what you have learned while you are reading? The whole point is that we miss a lot in our reading because we simply do not know how to read.
You may be wondering how this relates to seminary or something of that nature. The relation is in that the same principles apply to Bible study. The Bible is a book, composed of several books, and in order to even scratch the surface of what the Bible has to offer, you need to know what you are looking for. Case in point, an example from class today: If someone asked you what the statement "In Christ" means, could you give them a sufficient, educated, intelligent answer? I will admit that I would immediately say yes. Most of us would. I quickly realized though that my answer would probably not be sufficient when Prof told us of someone who wrote their dissertation on the statement "In Christ." The dissertation is 370+ pages in length and Prof says it is one of the best books you could ever read on the subject.
I've been in class for about 3 weeks now, and one thing is quite clear. When it comes down to the bare bones truth, I really do not know or comprehend all that much. I may feel like I do, but I do not. There is so much to learn and so much that I do not know.
Lastly, before I go, this morning we had communion during chapel, and it was a great time of reflection. The more I sat there and thought about Jesus, the more I realized that I don't really know Him all that well. It sounds weird and it feels weird to say it, and trying to put it into words is difficult. He is so much more than our finite human minds and hearts can comprehend, and just when we think we really know Him or have Him figured out, we learn something new. A better way of saying this could be, I sat in wonder and amazement at how much more I could know Him and know of Him.
Think about this, God sent His Son, the Savior. Do you see the grace of God in this statement?
2 comments:
No need to apologize-you owe it to yourself and your Lord to focus on your studies!
You will be able to better empathize with those who read the Bible for themselves the first time-what a joy. We do take reading for granted, let alone the in-depth things you are learning. The first time you encounter real illiteracy it is a shock-and more common than you think. Praise Him for this gift and use it to glorify Him-
I am thinking that I may need to read this book myself. It takes me forever to read something and then I have to read it several times over to get it.
I took your Acts 1:8 challenge and came up with my 25 observations and will do my next 25 in the morning. Amazing what you can pull out of the scripture when you really begin to observe what's taking place where a particular passage is concerned. That thought alone is causing me to learn so much. The Holy Spirit continues to teach me something new everyday! Your right; it's amazing! Amazing how there is always more. Once you have tasted of the pure spritual milk (2 Peter 2:3) you just crave more of it. Study hard and see you in October. Love you bunches! MOM
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